Automatic car and electric coupler



Oct. 13, 1925.

i 1.557537 G. C; GEIGER AUTQOMATIG CAR AND EL CTRIC co uPLEa 2 Sheets-Shae; 1

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Gmye C; Geiger 0a. 13, 1925. V v 1 1551,53!

. cs. @EIGER i AUTOMATIC CAR AND ELECTRIC ,cournun I Filed April 9, 1921 .2 Shets-She'et 2 Patented Get. 13, 1925.,

LINE'E'ED.

e-nonen 0. criteria, or EAST MeKEESPORT, PENNSYLVANIA;'ANNA B. Geese raincormrx or SAID enonen 0. onions, DECEASED.

AUTOMATIC CAR. AND ELECTRIC COUPLER.

Application filed April 9, 1921. Serial No. 459,954.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. Gnonen C. Gemini, a citizen of the United States. residing East McKeesport, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania. have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Car and Electric Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates broadly to toy trains and more particularly to a coupling for toy trains. V

The object of my invention is to provide an automatic coupling: for toy cars which will be inexpensive and simple of manu facture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a coupling for toy trains which completes an electric connection through the cars when coupled to supply electric lights or other equipment.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple means for manually uncoupling the cars in switching and assimilatmg the operations of standard railroading.

Qther and further objects of the present invention will in part be obvious and will in part be pointed out hereinafter in the specification following by reference to the accompanying; drawings wherein like parts are represented by like characters through out the several figures of the drawings.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of toy cars coupled in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of the couplers detached.

Figure 3 shows a pair of one piece punching's before the bending operation is performed to make up the couplers.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the coupler.

Figure 5 shows a side view of the coupler after the one piecepunching shown in Fig. 3 has been bent to shape.

Figure 6 is a front view of the coupler.

Figure? is a bottomview of the coupler.

Figure 8 represents. the uncoupliiur lever which forms a part of the coupler. I

Figure 9 illustrates the parts included in the electrically conductive member carried by each of the couplers. p

Figure 10 is a diagrammatic View partly in section on line AA. of Fig. l illustrating the electrical connections through the coupling for lighting the toy cars.

Heretofore in the art of toy railway cars the usual form of coupler has been a sheet strip pivotally connected to one car and having a hook and slotted end adapted to en gage with a similarly shaped coupler connected to an adjacent car. 7

These couplers are not automatic and in order to couple or uncoupie the cars it is necessary that the train be stopped and in some cases cars lifted from the track. This" is a decided disadvantage where it is desired to assimilate standard railroad operations, such as switching. etc. with toy trains.

It has been proposed also to construct automatic couplings for toy cars but none of these, have provided easily accessible means for uncoupling: the cars, that is the train must be slowed down or actually stopped in order to uncouple the cars which hinders switch operations and other opera-' tions similar to those cn'iployed in standard railroad service. Previous couplers depot insure theautomatic coupling: of the cars at all. times, for they do not provide guide means operative over a large radius to insure the alignment of the couplers as the cars drift together. i

Heretofo-re in order to provide li'pilitson the toy trains. it has been necessary to run a wire through the train to form one side of the power circuit thereby preventing the uncoupling of the cars and hindering switching; and standard railroad operations.

The present invention overcomes the objections inherent in the known prior art and provides an automatic car. coupler with means for guiding the couplers into align ment when the cars drift together. The cars may be manually uncoupled while in notion at any speed permitting assimilation of standard railroad operations The construction of the coupler provides means for electrically lighting; the individual cars and carrying the connection through the coupler. p

Referring more particularly to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of two cars 10 and 10% connected by my improvedcoupler. Pivotally mounted on the car" 10 as at 20 is positioned the coupler member 4.

uncoupling the cars.

The coupler member is suitably supported on the frame of the car through a transverse slot in a depending end flange and spring pressed at 21. In Figure 3 of the drawings the coupler members are shown comprising one piece punchings and include body portion 4:, side portions 1 and 2, extended strip 8, face portion 3, cut-out portion 5, guide member 6 and the guide and interlocking member 7. The second punching at the right of Figure 3 is identical to the punching at the left and similar characters of reference with exponent a have been used to indicate like parts.

The punching shown in Figure 3 comprising a single integral sheet of metal is bent to shape and is more clearly shown in Fig ure 2, wherein portions 1 are bent downwardly and portions 2 folded downwardly to support an electrically conducting member 15. The ends of strip 8 are bent upwardly at 9 and serve as supports for the uncoupling lever 11. The face portion 3 is bent at right angles downwardly from portion 4 and serves as an abutting surface for the couplers. Portion 5 is bent upwardly at right angles to portion 1- and positioned 180 degrees with reference to the face 3. This portion 5 serves to enlarge the abutting face 3, thereby aiding in the centering of faces 3 and 3 when coupling. The guide member 6 is bent upwardly with reference to face 3 at an angle 0 as indicated in- Fig. 5. This angle is preferably about degrees. The object of this portion is to serve as a guide cooperating with portion 6 to align the couplers as the two cars 10 and 10 drift together. Section 7 is bent with reference to face 3 to serve as a guide to sidewise movement from the beginning of the coupling process until the cars are coupled at which time it becomes an interlocking member by reason of the hook formation 12 adjacent the abutting face 3;

The uncoupling lever 11 shown more clearly in Figure 8 comprises a piece of wire with down turned ends 13 and let angularly disposed in opposite directions and rotatively mounted at supports 9 of strip 8. The arm 13 of the uncoupling lever 11 is substantially longer than the arm 11 and rotation-of the arm 13 causes movement of arm 14 which bears against the strip 8 of an adjacent coupler which slightly cants or rotates coupler t about its pivot thereby The electrical connection 15 forming a part of portion C carried by each of the couplers is secured to the coupler 4 by metal fold 2 but insulated therefrom and bears against spring member B with depending spring lip 16 all of the parts being elec trically insulated from coupler 4 by menlating sheet material A. The parts of the electrical connection A, B and C are better shown in Figure 9. Figs. 7 and 10 show the arrangement of spring members 16 and 16 which contact when the coupler is mechanically interlocked. The connecting terminals 15 and 15 are connected through conductors which supply one side of lamps L or other electrical equipment, the opposite sides of which are grounded to the frame of the car and supplied with energy from a suitable source D connected with the equipment on the cars through track T.

The general arrangement of parts as above described will be better understood by reference to Figures 4-, 5 and 6.

In the operation of my invention the couplers are drifted together and aligned by guide members 6, 6 and 7, 7 and abutting faces 3, 3 and 5, 5. As the faces 3 and 3 approach each other the couplers ride on the guide members 6, G and 7, 7 imparting a slight canting or rotative motion to the respective couplers. As the faces 3 and 3 contact they fit into notches 12 and 12 of the sections 7 and 7 which hold the two couplers in coupled position until movement of the uncoupling lever 11 causes the faces 3 and 3 to be displaced. As the couplers come together the electrically conductive members 16 and 1b spring together closing the electrical circuit through the coupler. In uncoupling the cars the lever arm 13 is moved causing arm 14. to contact with section 3" of the coupler 4 which raises the face 3 out of notch 12 of the guide member 7. This identical operation takes place with the opposite coupler as lever 13 moves causing arm li to displace face 3 fromnotch 12 of guide member 7. On separation of the couplers the electrically conductive members 16 and 16 become separated breaking the electrical connection through the cars.

\Vhile I have described my invention as embodied. in a toy, it will be understood that the ];)rinciples of my invention may be applied to constructions for heavy traction without departing from the spirit of my invention. No limitations upon the invention are intended other than those imposed by the scope of the'appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A railway'car coupler comprising a strip pivotally connected at one end to a car and having upwardly extending. and downwardly depending face portions 'at its outer end and means integral with said face portions adapted to interlock with similar means on an opposite coupler.

2,. A railway coupler comprising a single sheet of metal pivotally connected at one end to a car and having itsouter end bent downwardly to form an abutting face guide members angularly disposed to said face adjacent said face and adapted to receive the abutting face of a similar coupler.

3. The combination in a car of a depending end having a transverse slot one of said guide members includinga hook therein of a coupler pivoted to the bottom of the car and extended out through and supported in the slot said coupler having at its outer end upwardly extending and downwardly depending fiat abutting faces and guide members carried by the latter face whereby a similar coupler may be aligned with the first as the cars drift together and means for interlocking said downwardly depending faces.

-l. An automatic coupler for railway cars comprising a single punching of metal having a horizontal strip pivotally connected at one end to a car and formed at its outer end with a downwardly depending face a guide member at the lower edge of the face and a second guide member at the upper side of said face formed with an interlocking hook adjacent said face whereby a similar coupler may be aligned and interlocked with said first named coupler.

A railway coupler comprising a single punching of metal having a horizontal portion pivotally connected at one end to a car and having at the outer end upwardly and downwardly disposed integral members means on said members adapted to abut and interlock with means on similar members of an adjacent coupler and means for manually uncoupling said means.

6. A railway coupler adapted to cooperate with a counterpart coupler, comprising a relatively thin sheet of metal, providing an abutting face, guide jaws integral therewith, side portions extending from said sheet of metal, an electrical contact gripped by said side members but insulated therefrom, whereby an electrical connection may be completed through said coupler when said guide jaws are interengaged with a counterpart coupler.

7. A railway coupler adapted to cooperate with a counterpart coupler, comprising a sheet metal punching, having means adapted to interlock with similar means on a counterpart coupler by slight rotative movement, an electrical contact carried by said metal punching but insulated therefrom and adapted to contact with a similar contact on a counterpart coupler upon the interlocking thereof.

8. A railway coupler adapted to cooperate with a counterpart coupler, comprising a single punching of sheet metal, having an upwardly extending face and a downwardly depending face integral there with, said upwardly extending face consisting of material removed from said downwardly depending face, an electrical contact carried by said punching of metal but insulated therefrom and adapted ject through said downwardly face'and connect with a similar a counterpart coupler.

9. In a railway coupler formed of a pair of relatively thin integral sheets of metal having abutting faces guide members extending from said faces whereby the respective couplers are automatically canted in approaching coupled position and interlocked and means for canting said couplers in the opposite direction to uncouple said faces.

10. A railway coupler adapted to cooperate with a counterpart coupler, comprising a single punching of'sheet metal having an upwardly extending face and a downwardly depending face, said upwardly extending face being formed from material removed from said downwardly depending face, guide members on said downwardly depending face, one of said guide members being formed with a hook portion adjacent the downwardly depending face and the other of said members extending at an angle to said downwardly depending face, an electrical contact projecting through said downwardly depending face and adapted to connect with a similar contact in a counterpart coupler.

11. A coupling for toy cars comprising a pair of oppositely arranged couplers each including a coupler head, a draw bar connected therewith, a yieldable mounting for the draw bar on the car including a king bolt carried by the car and associated with the draw bar, a spring on the king bolt engaging the draw bar at one end, said coupler head including a frame and lugs upstanding from the frame, a lock plate depending from said frame and having an inclined lock shoulder along one side thereof, a keeper arranged on said lock plate at the side opposite said lock shoulder, an outwardly curved cam carried by said keeper, a curved guide wing carried by the lock plate adjacent the lower end of said shoulder and an uncoupling lever journaled in said upstanding lugs and having an arm engageable with the frame.

12. A coupling for toy cars comprising a pair of oppositely arranged couplers, each including a coupler head, a draw bar connected herewith, a yieldable mounting for the draw bar on the car including a king bolt carried by the car and associated with the draw bar, a spring on the king bolt engaging the draw bar at one end, said coupler head including a frame and lugs upstanding from the frame, a lock plate depending from said frame and having an inclined lock shoulder along one side there of, a keeper arranged on said lock plate at the side opposite said lock shoulder, an outwardly curved cam carried by said keeper,

t P depending contact on and a curved guide wing carried by the lock plate adjacent the lower end of said shoulder.

13. A coupling for toy carscoinprising each draw bar on the car, each coupler head head and a draw bar including a frame, a lock plate depending from the frame and having an inclined locking shoulder, a keeper carried by said looking plate from the opposite side of said coupler, and an outwardly extending cam carried by said keeper.

GEORGE C. GEIGER. 

